Raytheon Technologies, the manufacturer of the Patriot air defense systems, is increasing production and has promised five more systems for Ukraine by the end of 2024, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 11.
The production rate should scale up to 12 systems a year, as their effectiveness in Ukraine exceeds expectations.
Patriots, alongside other air defense systems used by Kyiv, managed to intercept around 90% of incoming attacks against Ukraine by Russia, the WSJ cited Raytheon's Chief Executive Greg Hayes.
The Ukrainian military reportedly managed to improve the systems, allowing them to track and destroy hypersonic missiles twice as fast as they were designed for.
Illia Ponomarenko
Ukraine received its first Patriot systems in April. They soon proved their worth by downing air-launched ballistic Kinzhal missiles, lauded by Moscow as "unstoppable hypersonic" weapons.
Air defense is likely to remain a priority of Ukraine, as Russia is reportedly capable of producing up to 67 missiles per month, and the country experienced particularly frequent air attacks in May.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a formation of a "Patriot coalition," akin to the existing "fighter jet coalition," that would coordinate the supply of air defense systems for Ukraine.
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